Millennials

More than in any other major Pennsylvania city, Pittsburgh’s young adults are living on their own instead of moving in with mom and dad.

Pittsburgh ranked 13th out of America’s 600 largest cities for the percentage of young adults aged 18 to 34 living alone, according to new data released Thursday in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 1-year American Community Survey. Pittsburgh also ranked 45th in terms of the percentage of young adults living with roommates.

The oldest millennials — nearing 20 when airplanes slammed into New York City's Twin Towers — are old enough to remember the relative economic prosperity of the 1990s, and when a different Clinton was running for president.

Tuesday was the big moment that Hillary Clinton has been waiting for: Bernie Sanders, who gave her a hard, unexpected fight for the Democratic nomination, endorsed her.

Their appearance together in New Hampshire was a show of party unity, but voter unity may be harder to achieve — especially among young voters. A new poll from The Associated Press and University of Chicago suggests Clinton has yet to convince this group, perhaps Sanders' most reliable demographic this campaign season. Her weakness extends across racial and ethnic groups.

Studying abroad is an American college tradition. It is the chance for students to go outside of their comfort zone and explore a foreign land. But is technology ruining the experience? Duquesne Law Professor Jacob Rooksby thinks so, as outlined in his essay, Digital Cocoons and the Raw Abroad. Essential Pittsburgh’s Paul Guggenheimer spoke with Rooksby about this development.

One of the newest trends of 2016 is the rise of the premium single as a consumer. Described as women who are earning money, and delaying marriage and children, we’ll discover the impact they’re having on the economy and could have on the election. Joining us to look at this trend is Alice Greene, vice-president secondary research at Campos Research Strategy.

Recent studies show the average millennial (those born between 1980 and 2000) spends 18 hours a day consuming media, with the majority online or on their mobile device. According to the PEW Research Center, 90% of millennials use social media. As technology continues to become more prevalent in the lives of young people, just how much is brain development influenced?

Elaina Zachos, Public Source reporter and author of “Technology is Changing the Millennial Brain,” says that the areas of the brain most affected by technology are the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. These areas control personality, cognitive function and communication skills.

The Bedford County 17 year old said he's interested in a career with the Pennsylvania State Police, so Trooper Brian Arrington told him the usual stuff. Keep your grades up, stay out of trouble and keep on the right path.

Currently a freelancer, Philadelphia resident Jillian Ivey is faced with a dilemma about her future and identity as a young woman.

The 31-year-old communications strategist wants children with her husband of nearly three years, but she feels that being pregnant and caring for an infant would be a direct choice not to make money or build her career.

Carlton J. Brown III is about to sign off on one of the biggest decisions of his life.

The 29-year-old is buying a three-bedroom house with a yard and a two-car garage in McKees Rocks, a borough northwest of Pittsburgh. Brown, a lab technician at an oil blending plant, has been renting with friends for the past two years.

At age 15, Sophia Sterling-Angus attended her first TED talk, the first TEDx Grandview. She was so motivated by the event that she began to plan her own TEDx. Now as a 17 year old high school senior at the Ellis School for Girls, Sophia organized a group of volunteers to create TEDxYouth Hot Metal Bridge at the Carnegie Museum of Art on September 7th.

One thing that made this event unique was the fact that it was developed with a younger demographic in mind and by teenagers. Find out how Sophia Sterling-Angus developed the TED talk and what she thinks about the future of TED.

While college may not be for everyone, gone are the days when you could go from work to longtime employment without some form of higher education. As the costs of college increase and as more jobs require a level of education beyond high school, trade schools are seeing a boost in enrollment. What are the economic benefits of attending trade school over college?

Brian O'Roark, professor of economics at Robert Morris University, says that student loan debt is a big factor in the decision to attend trade schools. He explains that at a time when four years of traditional college often results in tens of thousands of dollars of debt, for many students the decision to pursue a trade instead makes good economic sense.

“Skipping college actually ends up saving them in the long run because they don’t have to pay those student loans back. So if you find a trade, or if you go to a trade school and find a job that you can work at without incurring that debt, that’s actually a good thing for you.”

Quinn Elliott from East Liberty holds herself and the city to a high standard.

As a volunteer at The Big Idea Bookstore and Cafe in Bloomfield, she advocates for deep thought and strong, grassroots communities. The Big Idea is a worker-owned, community operated bookstore that advocates for alternative lifestyles and radical cultures.

After graduating college, she worked in Mayor Bob O’Connor’s office and transitioned into Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s office. There she did what was “in her blood,” making changes in communities in the department of neighborhood initiatives.

A recent PNC survey found that many millennials, a group generally considered born in the 1980s and 1990s, are not saving money, but they'd like to.

More than 3,000 people were surveyed, and 56 percent identified savings and budgeting as their biggest financial issue. The problem is many millennials don’t know where to start when it comes to saving.